Deep Fried Vegetables
by Owl.pendantry
Summary: (#02 of 50 Shinobi Themes) (AU) Watching the blonde across the table from him eat that tempura made him just want to eat her up…


**50 SHINOBI-THEMED CHALLENGE**

 **02\. Deep fried vegetables**

 **Prequel to #19 Apple sauce.**

 **Watching the blonde across the table from him eat that tempura made him just want to eat her up…  
**

* * *

Gaara had been forced to go out with his family for his sister's birthday. Unfortunately for him, his sister's best friend was in Suna for the event, and she had joined them for their outing.

It wasn't so much the fact that he minded the blonde, but it was more so the way she was eating her meal.

And it seemed she was doing it without even thinking.

Her eyes glanced over his features as she looked from Temari to Kankuro, but she quickly glanced back, covering her mouth.

"What? Is there something on my face?" she asked too innocently.

Both Temari and Kankuro turned to inspect the blonde's face.

"No, no," Gaara blundered. "There's nothing there."

Everyone was staring at him now…

"I just thought there was though..." he added, trying to get all attention off himself.

His plan worked, but not immediately; his sister had to get in her part and call him a weirdo. Nothing unusual, thankfully.

Thank Kami for him that the issue was dropped and all attention was off him and back on the birthday girl.

Unfortunately for him, he could swear the blonde was doing it on purpose now.

She had been glancing over at him whenever she took a bite of her deep fried vegetables.

Dear Kami, please make it stop. He could barely stand it before, let alone when she was doing it just to spite him.

Kami seemed to be on holiday for the moment, as his prayers went unanswered, and the entire dinner went on in such a manner; with her eating much like a temptress, and he sitting as the helpless Sabaku he was.

It was easy to say that Gaara found himself in hell with no escape, causing him to curse Kami for his choices of the night.

However, in cursing Kami, Gaara brought more pain on himself, as he soon found the blonde had nowhere to stay for the night, forcing the siblings to take her in to their family home during her stay in Suna, much as she would do for any one of them should they choose to visit Konoha for any reason whatsoever, not that Gaara would house himself with a woman such as herself by choice.

However, in cursing Kami, Gaara brought more pain on himself, as he soon found the blonde had nowhere to stay for the night, forcing the siblings to take her in to their family home during her stay in Suna, much as she would do for any one of them should they choose to visit Konoha for any reason whatsoever, not that Gaara would house himself with a woman such as herself by choice.

Gaara and Kankuro paid for their meals, as well as the two women accompanying them, as well as the taxi they all took to get to the Sabaku residence. In return, Ino had offered to make them all a wonderful breakfast of pancakes, berries, ice cream, syrup and whatever else they wished on top as well.

At least she could cook.

The obvious choice in sleeping arrangements had been to have Ino in with Temari, and the men in their own rooms, so they all decided for that plan, instead of giving her one of the boys rooms and kicking them out to the couch, or even giving her the couch.

No matter how comfortable that couch was, not one of the trio felt it right to leave their guest to the public bedding of the couch (especially with Kankuro still in the house), and none saw the point of their completely giving up their beds for her when they also had the option of all four of them sleeping comfortably in their beds.

After the birthday girl's choice in movie, the most girly thing she could ever want to watch which the boys were forced to sit through, and popcorn, every made their way to their respective beds, all bidding the others a goodnight, save for the girls who stayed up well into the night to gossip and watch much less feminine movies Temari knew her brothers would have actually liked to have seen, in lieu of her previous choice.

Too bad for them.

* * *

Several hours after the girls had finally fallen asleep, Ino woke, needing to desperately use the bathroom.

Thank God she and Temari had gone over a dozen times and she knew the way without getting too lost.

Unfortunately for her, she was still too dazed in her sleepy state and took the wrong path through the dark house. Ino didn't actually realise this until it was much too late and she was already in the bed of another person.

Gaara, to be precise.

And in thinking she lying next to Temari, the blonde found herself curling up against the redhead, not even realising how different their bodies felt to one another.

Gaara, on the other hand, knew the different between having someone else in your bed snuggling you and not having someone else. It was, in fact what woke him, after all, and waking up to find someone in cuddling up next to you is quite shocking when you fall asleep all alone in your own bed.

Quite peeved at the blonde already, and now this, the Sabaku found it right in the name of payback to do what he did next; push the blonde staright off the bed and onto the hard wood floors.

First there was the loud bang of the sound of blonde hitting floor. Then there was the sound of blonde scrambling to her feet and making to attack whatever it was she thought was in her presence.

There was nothing.

...except for Gaara

That was when she began vocalising her thoughts… loudly.

"What the… What the hell are you doing here!? Where's Temari!? What the hell did you do with her!? Is this some sort of prank between you all!? Why are you even in here!? Answer me, Goddamnit!"

It took him just a moment to take in what she was saying, and even then he was confused.

"...Excuse me?" he exclaimed.

"What the hell are you doing in here, pervert!?" she screamed.

"...I'm sorry, what?" he was getting truly angry now.

It was that moment Gaara's siblings burst through the doorway.

"What the hell is going on in here!?" the pair shreaked in unison.

"Your goddamned PERV of a brother came into your room, probably felt me up, and then had the gall to push me out of the bed!" came her shriek.

"...I'm sorry, what?" Gaara was in a daze at the stupidity of this woman at this point.

"...Ino…?" Kankuro tried.

"What!?" she snapped.

"You're not in my room," Temari tried.

"What are you talking about of course we..." she was cut off by Temari spinning her head so she would actually be able to look at the room.

"Oh my God..." she gasped, hands coming up to cover her mouth, as though to catch the stupidity she now knew she had been spurting.

She kept repeating those three words, as though chanting a mantra. She almost stopped at one point when she looked at Gaara, but quickly looked away, much too embarrassed to look him in the eye, and kept on with her chanting.

Temari eventually led her back to the room they had previously been sharing, and tucked her back in bed to try to ease her friend, and hopefully have her get back to sleep.

The boys, on the other hand, did not let it go, and continued to mock their house guest until the time came where they should have been waking up for the day.


End file.
